Today's instrument cluster panels or assemblies include a printed circuit board and an electronic digital display unit coupled to the circuit board for displaying information, such as trip mileage or warning messages. The digital display unit includes a light source, such as florescent light, for illuminating the information to be displayed. It has become necessary to provide an electronic means, as opposed to a mechanical means, for interacting with the information to be displayed. For example, if the display unit is an odometer, it is necessary to provide an electronic reset for resetting or zeroing the odometer.
Typically, a push-button switch is mounted to the circuit board and electrically coupled to the odometer display unit for resetting the odometer. The push-button switch must be remotely actuated since the switch, circuit board and display unit are positioned behind a cover enclosing the same. It then becomes necessary to provide a switch actuator assembly which allows an operator to actuate the push-button switch from a location remote from the push-button switch.
Switch actuator assemblies usually require additional parts, such as screws or the like, for fastening to the printed circuit board and/or are not free-standing or self-supporting. This, in turn, increases assembly time and cost.